Feelings Unrivaled
by Jokarin
Summary: The third installment in the "Feelings" series. Sakurako's sudden burst of independence starts to cause her best friend Himawari to feel uneasy. After remembering their relationship as children, just how much will Himawari's view of her closest friend and fiercest rival change? And will it be for the better or worse? [WiP Chapters will be added gradually]
1. Chapter 1

_Knock-knock-knock-knock!_

The young and innocent Furutani Kaede poked her head out from the doorway leading into the kitchen where her big sister, Himawari, was just about to prepare some lunch. The day had been pretty peaceful for the siblings so far and neither of them were expecting anyone to visit.

"Onee-chan, someone's at the door! Should I see who it is?"

Himawari sighed, stopped chopping up some tomatoes for the sandwiches she was crafting and walked over to her little sister. She patted her head with a weary but sweet smile. "Don't worry about it, Kaede. I'll answer it...I have a pretty good idea who it might be anyway..."

As Himawari slowly made her way to the front door she could hear the knocking on the door turn to banging...and from banging to outright slamming. One of the veins in her forehead began to pulse angrily as she began to unlock the door. "In what person's right mind...would YOU think...that trying to break down someone's front door to get their attention..." Himawari threw the door open with almost enough force to break it off its hinges. "...WAS A PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE IDEA?!"

On the other side was none other than Himawari's closest friend and neighbor, Sakurako. The blonde was standing in a pose that made it look like she was about to deliver a strong tackle. Beads of sweat trickled down Himawari's face. She didn't really expect her idiot of a friend to actually consider ramming the door down. Meanwhile Sakurako was wondering why her friend looked so angry. Her face was cluelessly blank as she cocked her head to the side. "Himawari!...You okay?"

"You're seriously asking me that?!"

Sakurako responded with a simple head-tilt to the other direction, coaxing a long sigh from Himawari. After a bit, the blue haired girl finally spoke back up. "So what do you want then..."

Sakurako perked up at the question, but then instantly became annoyed. "Oh right! YOU SAID YOU'D HELP ME WITH MY HOMEWORK TODAY! I've been waiting at my place for you to come over but you never did!"

"I was PLANNING to go over a little later after making lunch for Kaede and finishing the last of my chores. Unlike you, I actually have responsibilities." Himawari crossed her arms, causing her breasts to lift up slightly. It was a small motion, but one that someone like Sakurako would immediately notice. Since the two grew up together, she'd been watching Himawari's breasts grow steadily to the point of them becoming a bit bigger than most other girls their age and even some older. It also didn't help that while Himawari grew, Sakurako's chest stayed as flat as a washboard. This was probably the biggest gripe she had with her best friend.

"Yeah, you obviously have to be responsible for keeping your milk sacks in check..." Sakurako growled. Himawari huffed in return, deciding to let the insult slide for the moment.

"I'll go over as soon as I'm done making lunch for Kaede, alright? So if you don't mind putting your patience to the test..." Himawari looked off to the side for a second. " I-I'll make some extra for you too, alright?"

"REALLY?!" Sakurako lit up like a Christmas tree. Himawari's food was never something to take lightly and the fact that she was going to be given some of it without any questions made it even better. She quickly contained her excitement by putting on a confident smirk. "W-Well...Then I guess the kind and forgiving Sakurako-sama can spare a bit more of her time."

Himawari nodded. "Good. Then go back to your house and I'll be there in about an hour." Without even waiting for a response, Himawari immediately shut the door in Sakurako's face. The blonde blinked for a second before turning on her heel and heading back home, completely unfazed and with a large grin on her face. "Free food is awesome, but free Himawari's food is even better!" Sakurako skipped away excitedly, hoping dearly that the next sixty minutes would pass by twice as quickly as normal.

On the other side of the door Himawari let out a flustered sigh before going back to the kitchen, taking a few extra ingredients from the refrigerator to up the number of sandwiches she could make. Kaede watched from the doorway. "Who was it, Onee-chan?"

"Eh? O-Oh, it was just Sakurako. I promised her I'd help her with her homework, but I needed to finish all my chores first." Himawari smiled slightly. Taking care of her own duties and her little sister was one thing, but constantly having to babysit Sakurako when it came to school just made things more tiring...Not that she minded, anyway.

"Sakurako-oneechan has a lot of trouble studying on her own, doesn't she?" Kaede tilted her head quizzically, causing Himawari to chuckle as she reached over to pat her head. "Most of the time. That's why I try to help her out."

Kaede smiled brightly. "You're both really good friends!"

Himawari was caught off-guard for a moment before answering. "I...suppose we are, yes."

After finishing up in the kitchen and leaving her sister to enjoy her lunch, Himawari decided to retreat to her bedroom and relax for a bit. Kaede's words were still floating around in her head as she let out a slightly sad sigh. She sat up from her bed and looked over to her desk, getting up and slowly making her way over. She crouched down and opened up the bottom drawer, taking out a ragged and old-looking piece of paper. It was an old marriage form, slightly pink in color and covered in slight creases and tears. It wasn't totally filled out, but what was filled was done so in crayon. There was no name under the section for the groom, instead both Himawari's and Sakurako's names taking up the Wife's space. The blue-haired girl stared at the form longingly, a slight hint of concern visible in her expression.

"I wonder...Just when did things between us change..."

* * *

"Oh, Himako. Sakurako's been expecting you."

Sakurako's older sister, Nadeshiko, stepped to the side to let Himawari enter their house. The Furutanis and Oomuros had been neighbors for a while now, with Himawari's family living in the apartment building just across the street from Sakurako's house since the two were little. Nadeshiko considered Himawari and Kaede her other younger sisters at this point.

"Sorry for any inconvenience I may be causing." Himawari smiled and bowed as she slipped off her shoes. Nadeshiko responded with a lazy wave of her hand. "S'not a problem. You know you're always welcomed here. Sakurako's in her room doing her homework."

"Eheh...I'll believe it when I see it..." The blue-haired girl made her way over to Sakurako's door, slowly peeking inside. The girl was seated at her table, staring hard at her notebook. Himawari was amazed; Sakurako actually was trying to do her homework. It took a moment before she actually entered the room. "Well...It seems someone's working hard."

Sakurako looked up as her eyes instantly lit up like fireworks. "HIMAWARI! DIDJA BRING THE FOOD YOU PROMISED ME?"

"Yes." Himawari pulled out a small package from her bag. "Two sandwiches, like I said I'd make."

"YAY! Gimme gimme!" Before her friend could take hold of the sandwiches, Himawari quickly pulled them away and out of her reach. "No. Not until you finish your work. If you do, then you get your food."

Sakurako pouted. "Ugh, fine...This'll be no problem!" She quickly picked up her pencil and went back to concentrating on her notes while Himawari took out a book to read in the meantime. Every few pages she would glance up to make sure everything was going smoothly. Most of the time she'd usually find Sakurako goofing off or sleeping, but for some reason this time was different. Her friend hadn't lifted her head up from her work, tapping the end of her pencil on her chin in thought. It looked like she really was putting thought into it. What only seemed like a few minutes or so passed before Sakurako's voice broke the silence.

"BREAK TIME!"

"Eh?" Himawari set her book down. "We never agreed to any breaks!"

"But I'm already half dooone..." Sakurako flopped onto the table, puffing out her cheeks. "Can't I eat now?"  
Himawari sighed and took the sandwiches out of her bag and started to hand it over. Right before her friend could snatch it away, she quickly pulled back. She gave Sakurako a stern glare. "Only one sandwich. ONE. When you finish the rest of your work, then you can have the other. Got it?"

"Fiiiine..." Sakurako groaned before perking back up with joy as Himawari handed over one of the sandwiches. As the blonde happily ate, Himawari took the chance to slide her notebook over. "Just so we're clear, I'm gonna look over your work just to make sure you aren't trying to pull a fast one..."

Sakurako took a big bite out of her food. "Mmph! Do whatever you want, I ain't lying or anything this time! Honest!"

"We'll see about that." As Himawari flipped through the notebook, her expression of doubt changed to one of disbelief. Every question and every problem was completely answered. No shortcuts, no half-answers, nothing shady. It was proper work. Himawari was more surprised than impressed as she looked back up to Sakurako.

"You...You answered these all by yourself? You didn't have any help from Nadeshiko-oneesan?"

"Nope!"

"...From Hanako-chan?"

Sakurako growled. "HANAKO'S IN GRADE SCHOOL! Is it that hard for you to accept that I did it all by myself?!"

"I-It's not that, I'm just...highly impressed. Usually you try to speed through everything just to get it over with, but looking at this I can't really find anything wrong..."

"HA! See? When I put my mind to it, I can do anything! Including boring homework!" After finishing her first sandwich, she reached back out to Himawari. "Now gimme my book back so I can finish and get my other sandwich!"

Himawari was still pretty skeptical. "...Y-You're sure you're not just working hard because I brought food?"

"Ugh, the food's PART of it but I'm mainly just doin' it like I'm supposed to! Now can I just finish it please?"

After a moment, Himawari slowly handed the notebook back over. Sakurako snatched it out from her hand and went back to work, leaving Himawari even more surprised. "She really is putting in effort...It's like she doesn't need me to breathe down her neck..."

After an hour or so, Sakurako slammed her book shut and threw her hands victoriously into the air. "DONE!"

"I'll be the judge of that." Himawari took the book one more time to review the answers. As she got to the last page, she looked up and gave a polite smile. "Well, I can't believe I'm saying this but it looks like you did everything correctly. You should be proud."

"Haha! So that means...?"

"Yes, yes. The rest of the food is yours." She handed Sakurako the rest the other sandwich. The blonde cheered as she quickly snatched it away and went to town. Himawari sighed as she watched on. "I never thought I'd see the day where you'd do all your work without my help. It's like I never even needed to come over."

Sakurako grinned. "Heh, it's like you didn't even need to come by! At this rate I won't even need ya around anymore, huh?"

Himawari fell silent. The thought had never crossed her mind until just now. If Sakurako could start to do her homework by herself, then Himawari didn't really need a reason to come over all the time anymore. All the time she usually spent with her best friend would most likely just disappear. Himawari figured this was a good thing, since it meant Sakurako would become more independant...So why did she suddenly feel so depressed?

"Himawari? Oi, you okay?" Sakurako waved her hand in front of Himawari's face, snapping her out of her current train of thought. "What's the matter? You look like ya just saw a ghost or something."

"Eh? Uh, nothing...I-I'm just gonna head back home now. Glad you liked the food." Himawari stood up and took hold of her bag, giving Sakurako one more small smile before quickly making her exit. Sakurako was left still feeling confused.

"Himawari...?"


	2. Chapter 2

Himawari stared at the underside of the bunk bed over her, deep in thought. She couldn't sleep well at all, now stuck lying awake much earlier than usual. The faint rays of the early morning sun crept into the room as the events of the day prior kept repeating in her head. Sakurako's words looped over and over.

"_At this rate I won't even need ya around anymore, huh?_"

She didn't know why, but every time she replayed it she would feel a slight tinge in her heart. She sighed to herself quietly. "_Why am I bothered by something so simple? If she doesn't need my help then that means she's progressing, right? That should be a good thing..._" Himawari lightly clutched her chest. "_...So why does it upset me...?_"

Soft pats could be heard as Himawari set her feet onto the floor, tiptoeing as quietly as she could over to her desk. She didn't want to risk waking Kaede up too early. She once again took out the worn marriage form from the bottom drawer. It had been almost a week since she found it while doing some cleaning and she still couldn't exactly remember when or why she and Sakurako ever filled it out. The relationship they had when they were younger was just a blur to the both of them. Still though, every time she looked at it...it was as if something inside her was trying to yell something out to her, like she was trying to remind herself of something. Try as she might, however, nothing ever came out of it.

"Just what is going on with me lately..."

"Mmn...Onee-chan...?"

Himawari jumped slightly as she looked up to find Kaede sleepily leaning over the edge of her bunk to see what was going on. It seemed her attempts at keeping quiet enough to let her little sister sleep proved unsuccessful. She walked over and gently pet Kaede on the head, speaking in a quiet voice. "Sorry. Did I wake you up?"

Kaede slowly shook her head and tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Onee-chan...Are you okay...?"

Himawari nodded and smiled. "I'm fine. Just restless, that's all...Here, it's still early. Why don't you sleep a little longer. When you wake back up I'll have a yummy breakfast all ready for you. Does that sound good?"

Kaede nodded back before crawling to her pillow and dozing off once more. Himawari silently exited the room and headed to the kitchen, still dealing with what was on her mind. She stared into the pan she was using as the eggs inside it popped and sizzled over the hot blue flames. After a minute or two she gave herself a quick set of slaps to the cheeks and took a deep breath.

"I'm over-thinking things, obviously. Sakurako'll be back to her usual hopeless self once we're in class. I'm just worrying myself over nothing."  
In reality Himawari didn't completely believe her own words, but they were enough to at least relieve a bit of the uneasiness in her mind and heart.

* * *

"Himawari?...Himawari!"

Himawari suddenly felt herself being shaken back and forth by her shoulder. When she looked over, she saw Sakurako trying to get her attention while their fellow classmates and good friends Akari and Chinatsu moved their desks closer together. It seemed that she had spaced out again.

"What are ya waiting for? Hurry up and move your desk so we can eat! I'm starvin'!"

Right, it was lunch period. She she must have just lost focus during the last class and started day dreaming or something. Though Himawari was a bit confused. She wasn't exactly one to let her thoughts drift away during school. Deciding to shrug it off, she proceeded to set up her table with her friends as the four sat down to enjoy another afternoon conversing together.

"Akari-chan, your lunch looks super-tasty!" Sakurako drooled as she stared at Akari's lunch. The double-bunned girl had brought some fried chicken, octopus sausage and greens along with a side of white rice. Her bento looked and smelled delicious. Akari giggled at the compliment and gave a proud smile. "Ah, thanks! Akari got up a bit earlier than usual so she could cook everything properly."

"You made it yourself?!...Can I try some?" Sakurako flashed Akari a pair of her most innocent-looking puppy dog eyes. A cautious bead of sweat ran down Akari's forehead, but in the end she happily gave her friend a piece of her fried chicken. Sakurako popped the piece in her mouth and almost immediately her face brightened up in enjoyment as she quickly gulped it down.

"Mmmm! Akari-chan, you gotta teach me how to cook like you! Can ya teach me?"

That line almost made Himawari choke on her rice. Sakurako was always confident in her cooking abilities...and by that she meant she never bothered really learning how to cook, instead assuming making a meal from scratch was as easy as making instant ramen. This was possibly the first time Sakurako had ever asked someone for lessons. Himawari had always assumed that when that time came, she'd be the first person to be asked. Instead she had to sit there and watch her best friend ask Akari for pointers. It was enough to make her fume.

"E-Eh?...Well...I guess Akari can teach you, sure! If you'd like, we can start today after school."

"AWESOME! I'm totally gonna learn how to cook like Akari-chan!" As Akari watched her friend pump her fists in excitement, she heard a small but noticeable "Hmph!" from beside her. She looked over to see Chinatsu pouting with a slight hint of a blush on her cheeks while trying to keep her attention trained on the other side of the classroom. Akari chuckled awkwardly, knowing exactly why she was suddenly acting so annoyed. She leaned in close to Chinatsu and spoke in a soft whisper that only she'd hear.

"Don't worry. Akari will make sure to make extra especially for you, okay?" She punctuated it with a sweet smile, which only caused Chinatsu to blush even more. She quickly hid her face before giving a quick nod followed by a "S-Sure, whatever."

While her friends were doing their own thing, Himawari quietly rose from her seat. Sakurako noticed almost immediately. "Where ya goin'?"

"Huh? O-Oh uh...to the bathroom. I'll be right back." Himawari did her best to keep things short as she rushed out of class. Sakurako watched her go as her brow furrowed. Something about her friend had seemed off to her all day and her running off suddenly wasn't really helping. She tried to think of just what she may have been up to.

"_Something ain't right...Hmph. Maybe she finally realized how fat her chest is or something..._"

A splash of water washed over Himawari's face as she took a deep breath. She was glad that no one else was using the restroom. It gave her time to collect herself and set her mind straight. She sighed to herself.

"Is my cooking not good enough for her to ask me how to make it herself...?" Himawari stared at herself in the mirror with a somewhat depressed expression before giving her cheeks a another quick slap. "Ugh, just what has gotten into me? Am I seriously feeling jealous of Akaza-san right now?...This isn't me at all..."

She leaned herself onto the sink. None of these feelings would be messing with her if it wasn't for that stupid marriage form she had found. If only she could remember just what things were like when she and Sakurako were little then maybe she'd know why she would suddenly feel so anxious around Sakurako when she should be feeling proud instead. She gave herself a stern look in the eye.

"Maybe Nadeshiko-Oneesan will be able to help me. Sakurako'll be at Akaza-san's house anyway. I'll go over after school and ask her about it while she's out...Yes...Yes, that's a perfect idea."

Just then a loud yet familiar voice coupled with a few bangs on the door blasted its way into Himawari's eardrums. "HIMAWARIIII! DID YOUR LUNCH NOT SIT RIGHT WITH YOU OR WHAT? CLASS IS ABOUT TO START!"

The blue-haired girl immediately exited the bathroom and tightly clutched around Sakurako's mouth so that all she could here where her surprised and annoyed muffles. A large vein throbbed in her forehead as her face flushed red. Still, she spoke in a calm and composed way...It almost made her scarier as a result. "I would very much appreciate it if next time you'd refrain from screaming such information in a public hallway where everyone can clearly hear you, Oomuro-san. I don't think you'd appreciate what might happen to you if you do it again...Do I make myself clear?"

Sakurako's face was blue from both the lack of air and the tremendous amount of fear she was feeling. Getting on Himawari's bad side was one of the worst possible outcomes when it came to her goofing around. Even though she was a mostly polite and well-mannered girl, Himawari could still be quite vicious if pushed hard enough. Unfortunately for Sakurako, she was usually the one doing the pushing too.

"OKAY OKAY I'M SORRY TOTALLY SORRY ABSOLUTELY SORRY HIMAWARI-SAMAAA!" is what Sakurako tried to say, instead all that came out was a series of muffled yelps. Though Himawari couldn't make it out clearly she could still understand what her friend was saying, letting her go after a moment with an annoyed huff. Sakurako massaged her sore cheeks.

"J-Jeez, I thought you were going to tear my face off!"

"Sorry, just...don't go yelling stuff like that where other people can hear. It's embarrassing, even if it was just a joke..."  
Sakurako noted the blush on Himawari's face and decided to act serious for once. Her expression grew a lot softer and gentler. "Yeah, alright...Then I'm sorry for messin' with ya. But seriously we gotta get back to class before the next period starts or else Sensei's gonna chew us out!"

"O-Oh right, of course! I'll be right behind you, then." As she watched her friend run off, Himawari couldn't help but notice her heart beating a little faster than usual. Sakurako was always the hyper and brash type, but seeing her look so calm and gentle triggered something inside her. It was the first time she'd ever seen Sakurako look like that as far as she knew. Himawari placed a hand on her chest, feeling the quick pitter-patter from within.

"_I feel even more anxious than before! I need to figure out what's going on with me or else I'll probably get so bad that just standing around Sakurako will make me feel weak!_"

She took a few deep breathes to calm herself before going back to class. Still, she couldn't shake the worry that had started to manifest itself in her head. She was confused and even a bit scared, but she knew the only way to deal with it was to tackle the problem at its source.

"I'll get to the bottom of this once and for all. I just hope Nadeshiko-Oneesan has some of the answers I'm looking for..."


	3. Chapter 3

So far Nadeshiko had been spending her time home from school lazily lounging on the living room couch reading magazines. Her expression remained unchanged as she flipped through the pages, reaching over to the table next to her every now and then to take a sip from her juice box. As she relaxed, her younger sister Hanako entered the room.

"Huh? Sakurako-oneechan isn't home from school yet? It's her turn to cook tonight..."

"Oh right." Nadeshiko looked up from her magazine. "She texted me earlier saying she was going to a friend's house for 'Special Training'...Whatever that means."

Hanako huffed. "Ugh, that's just like her! She always tries to get out of cooking duty or takes the easy way out!"

"Well there's nothing we can really do about it now except make dinner ourselves." The elder sister set her magazine down and stretched out.

"We've got the ingredients for curry, so we can do that."

"Well...Alright. I guess we don't really have a choice." As Hanako let out a defeated sigh, the sound of knocks on the front door grabbed her attention. "Ah, I'll get it."

Hanako quickly answered the door, greeted by the sight of Himawari and Kaede. The younger of the Furutani sisters quickly ran inside and gave Hanako a big hug, catching her off-guard as the two tumbled to the floor. "Hanako-chan! We came to play!"

Himawari chuckled as she stepped inside. "Eheh...Sorry Hanako-chan. I figured I'd bring Kaede with me since I was planning to visit for a bit. I hope it's not too sudden."

"Ngh! K-Kaede, you're kinda heavy!" Hanako sat up with a smile, holding onto her friend as she looked up to her older neighbor. "No, not at all. Though if you're looking for Sakurako-oneechan then you're sort of out of luck. She's at a friend's house..."

"Oh, uh...I know. I was actually planning to speak with Nadeshiko-oneesan...I-Is she around?"

As if on cue, Nadeshiko popped her head out from around the entrance way corner. "Oh Himako, it's you. What's up?"

Himawari stood up straight and took a deep breath. "Onee-san, I...I need your help with something. Would you be kind enough to listen to what I have to say?"

Nadeshiko took note of the serious expression on Himawari's face. After a moment she looked over to Hanako and Kaede. "Hanako, how about you and Kaede go play? Himako and I can make the curry instead, if you two don't mind staying over for dinner that is."

"H-Huh?" Himawari perked back up. "Uh, no! No, not at all! We'd be glad to stay for dinner."

"Good." With that, the eldest Oomuro slung her arm around Himawari and ushered her off to the kitchen while their little sisters went off to Hanako's room. Once they were alone, Nadeshiko started taking out ingredients.

"So...What's so important that you needed my advice?" She asked.

"Um...w-well..." Himawari found it a bit hard to ask, but she knew if she didn't she wouldn't get the closure she'd been hoping for. "I-I found an old marriage form a few days ago that had my and Sakurako's names on it. I remembered you told us the story about how we filled it out, but neither of us believed you...Seeing as how we turned out to be in the wrong, I wanted to know...Just...Just how was my relationship with Sakurako when we were little...?"

"So that's what's up..." Nadeshiko set up some vegetables for Himawari to cut while she started taking out utensils and a pot. "To put it simply, you two were pretty inseparable. You clung to Sakurako's arm all the time...Honestly, it was adorable."

Himawari blushed. She used to be the one all over Sakurako? It was hard to swallow given how things were now. Nadeshiko continued. "You were also pretty sensitive. Every time something made you cry, Sakurako'd be the first one to take your hand and try to make you smile. She probably understood you better than our parents and I did..."

"So..." Himawari shakily took hold of a knife for the vegetables while trying to work up the courage to ask. "...is that why we signed that marriage form?"

"You both loved each other very much, but you were just kids. I'm pretty sure neither of you knew there was a difference between romantic love and friendship love, if you get what I mean." Nadeshiko cracked a small smile. Thinking about her younger sister and friend acting so adorably was a fond memory to her.

Hearing her elder talk about her younger days combined with a hard amount of thinking was helping Himawari piece a few things together. She was starting to remember the day that she and Sakurako filled the form in. How she was upset that she didn't get to fill the role of the wife and how Sakurako tried to make things right. How she promised to make Sakurako sweets every day when they were married...The warm feelings flooding over her were almost too much to handle as she supported herself with the kitchen counter, careful to not cut herself by accident.

"It's still strange to me how such a close relationship like the one the two of you had turned into a superiority competition..." Nadeshiko added. "I mean yeah, Sakurako can be quite the dimwit...and you, Himako, have matured quite well for your age..." She took a quick glance at Himawari's chest, feeling a slight tinge of disappointment in herself. The fact that a middle schooler was larger than her was kind of depressing. She quickly cleared her throat. "...but I don't see how that could be enough to change the both of you so much."

Himawari held her chest. She knew everything Nadeshiko was saying was true. Unfortunately for her it also made her dwelling feelings of being replaced or cast aside by Sakurako all the stronger. The conflicting feelings of comforting warmth and straining pain inside was almost too much to bare. She needed Sakurako. She wanted to stay close to her. The last thing she wanted now was to lose that and in her mind...it felt like she was going to soon.

"Himako, could you pass me some-...What's the matter?" Nadeshiko noticed Himawari's pained expression and quickly moved to her side. It looked like she was about to burst in a way. "You're shaking...C'mon, let's get you to the couch so you can calm down..."

The two slowly made their way from the kitchen to the living room as Nadeshiko carefully set Himawari down to her seat. Her body looked tensed up as she squeezed her hands together tightly. Seeing this only made Nadeshiko more concerned as she tried to think of a way to ease the tension. "There's some juice in the fridge that I'm sure'll help you cool down. We have peach, apple and orange. What type do you want?"

"D-Don't want..."

"Huh? You don't want any?"

"I-I don't want...I don't want Sakurako to leave me...!" Himawari buried her face in her hands as tears began to stain her face. "I want her to keep asking me to help her with her homework! I want her to ask me for cooking lessons so she can learn! I know I should be happy that she's being more independent, but...but I don't want her to not need me anymore!"

Nadeshiko was honestly at a loss for words. She was used to the little Himawari crying, but seeing her bawl now, the polite, mature young lady she is today, was almost too painful. Like watching a strong foundation slowing break apart. She did the only thing she could think of at a time like this; she slowly wrapped her arms around Himawari and pulled her into a tight hug. The blue-haired girl clutched her older sister figure's shoulders as she continued to expel all her worry and sadness.

"It'll be alright, Himako...Just let it all out..." Nadeshiko rubbed her back gently as Himawari continued to cry a little while longer.

* * *

Meanwhile, the kitchen of the Akaza residence currently looked like an explosion of foodstuffs and ingredients had just gone off. Splotches of powders and liquids covered almost every surface. The clanging of pots and pans filled the air along with the frantic instructions of a certain twin-bunned redhead.

"S-SAKURAKO-CHAN DON'T JUST DUMP EVERYTHING INTO THE OIL LIKE THAT! THAT'S DANGEROUS!"

"Eh? But it'll be faster if we just put 'em all in at once, right?"

"It'll cause a fire if you do that! Nnngh..." Akari rubbed her forehead. She didn't expect teaching her friend to be so difficult, but then again she never really experienced Sakurako's cooking skills first hand; Said skills being little to none. She had been trying to teach her friend how to make the same lunch she brought to school earlier, even using some of her money to buy extra ingredients on the way home. Sadly it seemed that most of it had gone to waste in the form of either under-cooked fried chicken, burnt sausages or soggy rice. The latter being the most confusing to Akari seeing as they were using a rice cooker which wasn't exactly hard to use.

"Okay okay fine. I'll put 'em in one at a time..." Sakurako picked up a piece of floured chicken and dropped it into the pot of oil with a small splash, causing Akari to once again become frantic. "I-I told you before not to put them in like that! If you splash around hot oil you might burn your-OW!" A droplet of oil bounced out of the pot and onto Akari's arm, the sudden sting causing her to jump away in surprise. "...Because that might happen!"

"Eheheheh...My bad." Sakurako stuck her tongue out playfully. To be honest she never really expected cooking to be so much work. It always looked so easy on tv and in restaurants. Akari wiped her arm off and sighed in partial defeat. "Are you sure you want to keep doing this? We've been at it for almost two hours and haven't even made something edible yet..."

"Eeeh?!" Sakurako actually looked disappointed. Usually giving up on something hard and letting someone else do it was the first thing she'd suggest.

"I-It's not like we can't do it again. Why don't we try again this weekend? Won't that be better?"

"NO! I can't give Himawari a homemade lunch if we aren't at school the next day, y'know!" Sakurako huffed, not really aware that she just blurted out her reason for wanting cooking lessons.

"Eh?" Akari quickly caught it. "Himawari-chan?...Oooh, so this is all so you can give her a lunch that you've made?"

"H-Huh?! O-Of course not! No way! N-Never...uh...Shoot, I was hopin' not to tell anyone..."

Akari pondered for a minute. "Why'd you want to keep something like that a secret? OH, is it because you're still rivals? You probably wanted to surprise her by showing you could cook just as good as her, right?"

"What? No no, it's not that it's just...I just wanted to do something for her. Since she's always been supporting me and trying to keep me on a straight path and stuff..." Sakurako scratched her cheek. Saying something like this felt so out-of-character for her. "I mean she helps me with my homework and cooks me really tasty stuff and all that...And even though she can be a super-mega-ultra-boobified pain in the butt, she still spends time with me. So I just wanna repay her with a bit of a break."

"Sakurako-chan..." Akari was pretty surprised. She knew Sakurako had a good heart underneath her childish and sometimes bratty personality, but this was one of the few times where it was plain-as-day to see.

"This past weekend I made sure to study really hard and do my homework without her help as a start and it worked out great! Now I wanna give her a homemade lunch. So I hope ya don't mind if we keep trying?"

Akari smiled. Seeing her friend so determined to please made her feel more energetic herself. "If that's the case, then sure. You'll get it right this time, Akari knows you will!"

Sakurako grinned. "Yeah! And I'll only burn the sausages slightly this time, too!"

"...T-That's one way to think positively...!" A bead of sweat popped up on Akari's forehead. Even if her friend's intentions were very sweet, it didn't mean teaching her was suddenly going to become easier...


End file.
